How to Winterize Your Garden

As Old Man Winter is getting ready to pay us another visit, it's time to put your garden to bed.
Tuck away any potted perennials or small trees like this Japanese maple into the garage wrapped in a thermal blanket to protect the pot from cracking.
Empty and clean any fragile decor items. This pot fountain will get a good scrubbing with a mix of mild soap and bleach to remove any scale before storing in the garage. Smaller items such as the glass globe can be stored in a box.
Check your plants for any disease or fungus. Cut any diseased plants to the ground and burn the waste rather than tossing in the compost to prevent spreading the disease.
Leave seed heads such as this rudbeckia to attract birds and add some interest to your winter garden.
Clear out your vegetable garden. If you want, add compost to the soil and some slow release fertilizer to give it that extra boost for spring planting.
Heather (New House New Home)
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Judith Judith on Nov 18, 2014
    New Smyrna, Fl may not need to winterize, but we in Gainesville sure do. 24 degrees tonight and my tropicals are already shivering. Glad it is not 10 degrees. God bless you people.
    • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on Nov 19, 2014
      @Judith It was 39 in New Smyrna when I woke up this morning. Way too early for it to be that cold. I don't like to think what it may portend.
  • Judith Judith on Nov 20, 2014
    Doug, I think this was just the first volley of cold weather for us this year. I still have covers on most of the plants as we are still in the low 30's, but they should come off tomorrow. You are fortunate to be a little further south. Hope you fared well at 39.
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